HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- A Huntsville man accused of strangling his wife and young son will have a preliminary hearing May 1 in Madison County District Court.

Stephen Marc Stone, 33, faces capital murder charges in the Feb. 24 deaths of his wife, Krista Stone, 32, and their son, Zachary Stone, 7 at their home on Chicamauga Trail in South Huntsville. Madison County Coroner Craig Whisenant said Krista Stone died from strangulation and the child died from strangulation and drowning.

The couple had two other young children who were not injured. Stone, who is from Leeds, brought the two younger children with him to Leeds and later turned himself in to Leeds police.

Stone's attorneys Brian Clark and Lonzo Robinson late Thursday filed the request for a preliminary hearing before District Court Judge Schuyler H. Richardson who granted the request today. The hearing is set for 1:30 p.m., May 1.

A preliminary hearing generally involves only a few witnesses, usually a law enforcement officer who investigated the case, and it gives the court the opportunity to decide if there is sufficient evidence to bring the case before a grand jury.

Stone faces a possible death sentence if convicted on capital murder charge of killing two or more people or killing a child under 14.